In recent years, in keeping pace with an increase in the amount of digital data to be recorded or reproduced, such as digital audio or video signals, a strong demand has been raised for elevating the recording density on the magnetic tape or the like magnetic recording medium.
For elevating the data recording density, it is customary to reduce the track width or the track pitch, in addition to using a digital data modulation system of higher efficiency or reducing the recording wavelength. However, when the track pitch is reduced in this manner, a so-called crosstalk or interaction between adjoining tracks is increased, with the result that the SN ratio or the error rate are affected adversely. For reducing the crosstalk level, it is customary to use an azimuth angle .theta. of the magnetic gap of the head associated with a given track different from that of the magnetic head associated with an adjoining track, as disclosed for example in the copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 06/211280 (filing date, Nov. 28, 1980). For smaller azimuth angles .theta., the crosstalk level is not decreased as desired and, for larger azimuth angles .theta., the effective recording density is lowered and the noise increased.